Lid construction



Em 3 45 A. A. KOOYMAN LID CONSTRUCTION Original Filed Feb. 10, 1941 3Sheets-Sheet l W N m m MN Ira/672507" fig] POMS-W A. A. KOOYMAN Jan.36), T1945.

LID CONSTRUCTION 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed Feb. 10, 1941 Jan. 30,1945. A. A. KOOYMAN 2,368,146

LID CONSTRUCTION Original Filed Feb. 10, 1941 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 PatentedJan. 30, 1945 LID CONSTRUCTION Adrianus A. Kooyman, Chicago, 111.,assignmto International Harvester Company, a corporation oi New JerseyOriginal application February 10, 1941, Serial No.

378,420. Divided and this 22, 1942, Serial No. 455,759

3 Claims.

This application is a division of application Serial No. 378,420, filedFebruary 10, 1941, which was filed for abandoned application Serial No.218,160, filed July 8, 1938.

This invention relates to a lid construction. More specifically, itrelates to an arrangement applicable to a lid of a refrigerator or thelike for releasing or reducing the counterbalancing action of a springupon movement of the lid into closed position.

in many cases it is necessary to provide a ocunterbalancing spring foraiding the opening of a lid on a device such as a refrigerator. Sincethe spring aids opening, it will naturally oppose closing, and it isdesirable that some means be provided for minimizing the action of thespring at closed position of the lid.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved lidconstruction for a container.

A further object is to provide for a lid construction an arrangement forreleasing the counterbalancing action of a spring intended to hold opena lid.

Still another object is the provision of a reapplication August leasemechanism for a counterbalancing spring in connection with a double lidconstruction,

Other objects will appear from the disclosure.

According to the present invention, a pair oi containers, one within theother, provide adjacent compartments suitable for food and refrigerant.Lids for the compartments are pivotall; aiined ar extend in the samedirection from the in closed position. Arena" straps extend the innersides or the lids d are slotted ent the lids. A extends between the swith its ends partially in the a s. the one lid is opened, the end ofthe pin moves out of the slot and the pin is moved longitudinally bycontact with the strap further into the lot in the other strap, so thatmovement of the latter strap to release the pin from engagement with theslot is impossible and the lid is locked in closed position against thecompartment. Counterbalancing springs are connected to the lids andcontainers,

so as to hold the lids in open position. A mechanism is provided forreleasing the action of the counterbalancing springs when the doors aremoved nearly into closed position.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional view taken along the line l.'lof Figure 3, but with the lids closed;

Figure 2 is a similar section with one lid in open position;

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Figure 3 is a section taken along the line 3-3 of Figure 1, but with thesame lid partially open;

Figure 4 shows in detail a locking pin;

Figure 5 shows a sleeve for the lockingpin;

Figure 6 shows a bell-crank member for releasing a counterbalancingspring;

Figure 7 is a detail, showing a member on which the locking pin ismounted;

Figure 8 is a perspective view, showing how the locking pin is mounted;and

Figure 9 is a detail, showing a connecting piece for a counterbalancingspring.

A dry tank It for food is mounted within a refrigerant tank il in amanner not completely shown, since it forms no part of the presentinvention. In any event, the tanks are so arranged as to form separatecompartments for food and refrigerant. A lid is covers the foodcompartment, and a lid Hi, the refrigerant compartment. The lids arehinged on alined axes, as at 95. Secured to the under side of the lidsl3 and M, respectively, are arcuate straps El and It, the centers ofwhich fall on the alined pivot axes I5 of the lids. near its point ofattachment to the lid, as at ill, with a sloping groove 20 extendingfrom the slot on the surface facing the other strap.

The dry tank ill has a flange 2!, by means of which the tank issupported at one side On a pair of angle irons 22 and 23, having endportions 22 and 23 resting on the refrigerant tank ll. as shown inFigure 'l for the angle iron 22, angle iron 23 being similarly formed,there is'a threaded opening 2 3 and an elongated slot 25 with a circularportion 26 at one end. Secured opposite this circular portion to angleiron 23 is a U-shaped member it? with a registering opening and a slot29 receiving the arcuate strap it as shown in Figure 8. A short tubularsection 3% is secured in the opening 26 of the angle members 22 and 23and the registering opening of the U-shaped member 28, and is almost aslong as the distance between the straps ll and it. There is an elongatedopening 3| in the tubular section 30 nearer the end which is oppositethe strap H (see Figures 3 and 5). A looking pin 33 is positioned withinthe tubular. section 3!! and has an opening 34 opposite the opening 3|in the tubular section. There are reduced ends 35 and 36 on the lockingpin 33, which extend partly through the slots IS in the arcuate strapsl1 and 18 when the lids are both in closed position. A spring member 38extends into the opening in the pin 33 and has an eye portion 39,through which a bolt extends and is se- Each strap is slotted cured tothe angle members 22 and 23, securing the spring member thereto. Thespring member tends to retain the locking pin 33 in a central positionbetween the straps l1 and I3, and yet allows it some movement along itslength into and out of the slots I! in the arcuate members l1 and II.

Clips 4| are welded to the ends of the members l1 and I8 and retain, bymeans of pins 42 passing through holes 42' in legs 43, bolts 44 fastenedto one end of counterbalancing springs 45. Bolts 46 connect the otherend of the springs and brackets 41, secured to the angle members 22 and23. The arrangement is such that either lid tends to stay in the openposition of Figure 2, for in this position the clips 43 are closest tothe brackets 41. When the lid is shut, the spring 45 is caused toelongate and resist the movement to closed position. In order that thecounterbalancing action may be released in closed positlon, bell-crankmember 50, shown in detail in Figure 6, and nut bell-crank member 50 ispivoted on the angle members 22 and 23, as at 52. As the lid 14 moves toclosed position, the end of the arcuate strap l8 strikes an end portion54 of the bellcrank member 50, which is spaced a considerable distancefrom the pivot at 52. The bolt 44 passes between legs 55 with the nut Iiresting against the legs when closed position has been reached. In thisposition, the distance between the contact of the nut 6| v point 52 issmall in comparison with the distance between pivot point 62 and thepoint of contact of strap l8 on end portion 54 of the bell-crank member.Consequently, in the closed position or in the approach to closedposition, the effective lever arm at which the spring 45 acts is smallin comparison with the lever arm on whichpressure applied to the coveracts, and the ability of the spring to resist closing force to the coveris considerably reduced. The mechanical advantage' of the lidin respectto the spring is considerable.

Whenthe lids are in closed position, the looking pin 33 occupies amid-position between the straps i'l'and i8 becauseof the action of thespring 38, with the ends 35 and 36 extending through the openings IS inthe straps i1 and I8 to a point opposite the sloping grooves 20. Whenlid 14, for example, as shown in Figure 3, is raised, the reduced end 36of the pin 33 is able to slide out of the holes is of the strap I8 bypassing along sloping groove 20. However, as this happens, the lockingpin 33 tudinally farther into the opening IQ of strap I'I beyond thegroove 20. If an attempt is now made to raise lid l3, the end portion 35of pin 33 is not in a position to slide out of hole 19 of strap 11 bypassing over sloping portion 20, and consequently strap movement. It nowlid 14 is lowered to closed position, end portion 36 of locking pin 33moves back into hole IQ of strap l8, and end portion 35, partially outof hole IQ of strap I1. Now, lid l3 may be raised, since end portion 35of pin 33 is in a position to slide out of hole I9 along sloping groove20. When this happens, locking pin 33 is moved far enough into strap iito lock it and lid [4 against movement.

It may be considered that the sloping groove adjacent the hole I! in onestrap l8 constitutes means for displacing the end of the pin 33 in thehole to bring the other end of the pin aseame into locked engagementwith the hole I! in the other arcuate strap ll.

In the open position of lid l4 of Figure 2, clip 4! contacts U-shapedmember 23 and lid 14 rests against a stop 51. Thus, the opening of thelid is limited. A similar stop for limiting the move- 5| on bolt 44 areprovided. The

and legs 55 and pivot is moved longi- I1 and lid l3 are locked againstment of lid I3 is also provided.

It will be seen from the foregoing description that a novel structurehas been provided in which one lid of a pair of lids is locked in closedposition, while the other lid is open, and the counterbalancing actionof springs on the lids is reduced as the lids are closed. The inventionhas been shown in connection with a refrigerator, but it is to beunderstood that the invention is applicable wherever lids or closuresare used.

The invention is to be limited only to the terms of the appended claims.

What b claimed is:

1. In combination, a container part having an opening, a lid part, ahinge pivotally mounting the lid part on the outside of the containerpart for movement to and from a closed position in the opening, a curvedmember connected to the lid part and movable therewith concentricallyabout said hinge, a counter-balancing spring means connected at one endto the member and at the other to the container inside the opening, anda bell crank lever having a long arm in the path of movement of themember and a short arm adjacent the spring means, said lever beingpivotally mounted inside the container part to one side of the openingindependently of the member and spring means and at a side of the hingeaway from the opening thereby enabling the member to come intoengagement with the long arm of the lever at a relatively large distancefrom the pivot of the lever and the spring means to come into engagementwith the short arm of the lever at a relatively small distance from itssaid pivot, whereby resistance of the spring means is slackened as thelid part approaches its closed position.

2. In combination, a container part having an opening, a lidpart, ahinge pivotally mounting the lid part on the outside of the containerpart for movement to and from a closed position in the opening, a curvedmember connected to the lid part and movable therewith concentricallyabout said hinge, -a counter-balancing spring means connected at one endto the member and at the other to the container part inside the opening,and a bell crank lever having a long arm in a position to be engaged bythe member and a short arm in a position to be engaged by the springmeans, said lever pivotally mounted inside the container partindependently of the member and spring means at a side of the hinge awayfrom the opening thereby enabling the member to come into engagementwith the long arm of the bell crank and the spring means to come intoengagement with the short arm of the bell crank, whereby resistance ofthe spring means is slackened as the lid part approaches its closedposition.

3. In combination, a container having a wall with an opening, a lidhinged to the outside of the container to close said opening, an arcuateguide member connected at one end to the inner face of the lid in spacedrelation to the hinge, extending into the opening and arranged insubstantially coaxial relationship with the hinge, a bell crank leverpivotally mounted in the container at the side of the lid hinge oppositefrom the connection 2,ses,14a

of the member to the lid, 3. counter-balance spring for the lidconnected at one end to the container at the side of the openingopposite the hinge and at its other'end the spring being connected to arod, said rod connected at its free end to the free end of the guidemember, and a fulcrum nut carried by the rod, said bellcrank leverhaving a short arm extending toward said spring and engaging the fulcrumnut and a, long arm engaged by the free end of the guide member, wherebyas the lid is moved to closed position the force of 5 the spring isrelaxed. 4

ADRIANUS A. KOOYMAN.

